Word Counter & Keyword Density Checker — Free Online Tool
Count words, characters, sentences and reading time, and see keyword density and your most-used phrases as you type.
Density is the share of all words taken by the phrase. There is no magic number; 0.5 to 2 percent is what naturally written pages tend to land on.
| free | 4 · 5.9% |
| tools | 2 · 2.9% |
| tool | 2 · 2.9% |
| bring | 1 · 1.5% |
| right | 1 · 1.5% |
| visitors | 1 · 1.5% |
| answers | 1 · 1.5% |
| one | 1 · 1.5% |
| question | 1 · 1.5% |
| well | 1 · 1.5% |
| free tools | 2 · 5.9% |
| free tool | 2 · 5.9% |
No repeated phrases.
Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent to us or stored. Counting words is the easy part; writing pages that rank is the service. See our content and SEO work.
Found a problem, or something that could be better? We read every message and we fix things quickly.
This free word counter shows words, characters, sentences, paragraphs and reading time as you type or paste, and adds what plain counters leave out: keyword density for a phrase you choose, and the one-, two- and three-word phrases you use most. It is built for writers checking a brief, students meeting a limit, and anyone editing a page for search.
Word counts are simple; the useful question is what the words are doing. A page that repeats its keyword in 4 percent of its words reads as stuffed to both readers and search engines, and one that never uses it in the opening paragraph is hiding its subject. The density panel answers both without pretending there is a magic number, because there is not.
How to use
- Paste or type your text. Every count updates live.
- Enter a target keyword or phrase to see how many times it appears, its density, and whether it is in the first 100 words.
- Scan the most-used phrases. Repeated two- and three-word phrases are usually either your topic (good) or filler (cut).
- Turn the stop-word filter off if you want to see function words counted too.
- Use reading time to set expectations in an article header, and speaking time to size a talk or a video script.
Frequently asked questions
How is reading time calculated?
Words divided by 225 words per minute, an average adult silent-reading speed for non-technical text, and the same figure used across this site's blog. Dense technical material reads slower (150 to 200 wpm); light copy faster. Speaking time uses 150 wpm, the pace of a clear presentation.
What is a good keyword density?
There is no target that helps rankings. Naturally written pages about a topic land between roughly 0.5 and 2 percent for their main phrase, and above 3 percent starts to read as stuffing. Modern search engines evaluate topical coverage, related terms and usefulness, not repetition. Use density as a sanity check, not a goal.
Does it count hyphenated words and numbers?
Hyphenated words count as one (well-known is one word), contractions count as one, and numbers count as words, which matches how Word and Google Docs count. Punctuation and symbols on their own are not words.
Is my text uploaded?
No. Counting happens in your browser with JavaScript; nothing is sent to a server or stored. You can paste confidential drafts safely.
What counts as a sentence and a paragraph?
Sentences end at a period, question mark or exclamation mark followed by a space or the end of the text; abbreviations like “e.g.” can cause a small over-count. Paragraphs are separated by a blank line.
Typical lengths, for reference
• Tweet: 280 characters · LinkedIn post: under 1,300 characters before “see more” · Meta description: 120–160 characters
• Blog post that ranks for a competitive term: 1,500–2,500 words, though the best answer wins, not the longest
• Product description: 50–150 words · Email: under 200 words for a cold email
• Five-minute talk: about 700 words · Ten-minute video script: about 1,400 words
Using phrase frequency while editing
The three-word phrase list is the quickest way to find verbal tics: “in order to”, “it is important”, “at the end of the day”. If a phrase appears five times in 800 words and is not your subject, cut most of them. The one-word list shows whether your topic words dominate or whether the text is mostly hedges and connectors.
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